By: D.K Chaudhary
1. Bilateral Annual Haj 2018 Agreement between India and Saudi Arabia Signed
i. According to the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Saudi Arabia has given the green signal for India’s decision to revive the option of sending Haj pilgrims through sea route also.
ii. The practice of ferrying Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped in 1995. For the first time, Muslim women from India will go to Haj without “Mehram” (male companion).
- Saudi Arabia Capital- Riyadh, Currency– Saudi riyal.
2. Indian Navy Signs MoU with Cochin Port Trust
i. The Indian Navy has inked an MoU with the Cochin Port Trust (CPT), Kerala towards leasing of 228 metres of berths at Mattancherry Wharf for a period of five years.
ii. The MoU has been concluded to cater for the futuristic requirements of the Navy with the sizeable increase in its fleet scheduled in the near future. This is the first time such an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT.
ii. The MoU has been concluded to cater for the futuristic requirements of the Navy with the sizeable increase in its fleet scheduled in the near future. This is the first time such an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT.
Cochin Port Trust Chairman- P.Raveendran.
- Admiral Sunil Lanba is the present Chairman of Indian Navy.
3. Haryana Becomes First State to Launch High-Risk Pregnancy Portal
i. Haryana has become the first state in the country to launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. This portal not only helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level but also ensures their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management and delivery by specialists.
ii. This innovative web application has been designed to track every high-risk pregnant woman till 42 days after delivery.
- Haryana CM- Manohar Lal Khattar, Governor- Kaptan Singh Solanki.
4. India’s Second FTII to be Set up in Arunachal Pradesh
i. Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh announced that Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the Union Government.
ii. This would be the second such one in the country. The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune.
- FTII Pune Established in – 1960, Current Chairman – Anupam Kher.
- FTII is an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
